Hay-press.



Patented mar. 4, I902.-

No. 694,626. 6 K. KuGITTINGS.

HA'Y PBES'S.

(Application filed Apr. 18. 1991.]

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

'- No. 694,626. Patented Mar. 4, 1902.

K. GITTINQS. I

' HAY PRESS;

Applicationfiled Apr. 18, 1901.) I (No Model.) 2 Shuts-Sheet 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KINZIE KERN GITTINGS, OFOHILHOYVEE, MISSOURI.

HAY-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 694,626, dated March 4, 1902.

Application filecl April 18, 1901. Serial No- 56,395. (No model.) 7

a citizen of'the United States, residing at Chilv howee, in the county of Johnson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and use-.

ful Improvements in Hay-Presses; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, 1 and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which to it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to self-feeding attachments for hay-baling machines; and my object is to provide reliably-efficient mechanism designed as an attachment which may be readstructed.

The prime object of my invention is to not only provide feeding mechanism which will' introduce'the hay or other material to be pressed into bales into the receiving-chamber prior to its entrance into the compressionchamber, but I have also provided automatic size of the bale compressed.

The preferred construction deemed neces-' sary to provide the several cooperating ele- 3o drawings, in which tion as applied to use.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical section showing my improved feeding attachment and also showing a portion of the hay-baling machine proper. certain operative'parts illustrated in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective detail View of the holder.

designed to receive and deliver the divisionblock as required. Fig.6 is a perspective view of one of the division-blocks.

In order to conveniently refer to the several elements of my invention and the cooperat- 5o ing accessories, numerals will be employed,

ily applied to use upon almost any'variety of hay-baling machine as now commonly con-' ments constituting my complete automatic or self-feeding attachment for hay-balers will be 1 clearly described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing the same numeral referring to a similar part throughoutthe several views.

NVhile my invention proper does not relate to the general construction of a baling-machine, yet for convenience of description I' will show .in the drawings such portion of an ordinary baling-press as will fully illustrate a practical application of my ideas to actual use. Referring to the numerals on the drawings, 1 and -2 designate the supporting-beams 01' base-sections upon which is erected'a suitable elongatedcasing, as is usual, designed to accommodate the receiving-chamber and also the compression or baling chamber, the receiving-chamber being indicated by the numeral 3, while the compression-chamber is designated by the numeral 4, the walls of said chambers being properly reinforced and sustained, as is common, by a suitable framework, as'i'ndicated by the numeral 5, all constructed as is usual in the manufacture of hay and cotton baling machines.

The hay is introduced into the opening (indicated by the numeral 6) formed on the top of the receiving-chamber 3 and is from thence forced into the compression-chamber 4 by the reciprocating plunger-head or compression block 7, operatively connected with the driving shaft or pitman 8, the latter being supported on its outer free end by the crankshaft 9, properly journaled in bearings 10, located on the outer ends of the base-sections 1 and 2. The compression-head is reciprof cated by any suitable power, the object, as is Figure 1 is a perspective View ofmy inven Fig. 2 is a longitudi-- nal vertical section of the device employed to force the hay into the receivingchamber.

obvious, being to compress the hay or other substance into a compactform for storage or shipment.

1 will now proceed to describe the special features comprising my automatic self-feeding attachment, and in order to reliably anchor the framework carrying the operating parts of my feeding apparatus I locate at a convenient point upon the base members 2 suitable standards 11, to the upper ends of which I secure in any preferred way the outer ends of the members 12, the opposite ends of which rest directly upon the contiguous part of the compression-chamber. The members 12 carry the standards 13, secured in position in any preferred way and properly reinforced and sustained by a cross-section 11 and suitable braces 15 in order that said standards may be held rigidly in an upright position, and thereby afford a seat upon their upper ends for suitable bearings designed to receive the shaft 16.

The shaft 16 is properly connected to the walking-beam 17, the outer free end of the walking-beam being pivotally connected by means of the link-section 18 to the inner end of the pitman 8, the opposite end of the beam being pivotally connected to the upper end of the feeder 19, carrying upon its lower end the hay-engaging blocks 20, properly securedto the feeder 19 by bolts or otherwise, as more clearly illustrated in Fig. 2. This plunger 19 is of two like parts one on each side of the end of the walking-beam as seen in Fig. 1, and in the center slot the lever 22 is pivotally connected therewith. The outer sides of the feeding-blocks 20 are preferably reinforced, as by the metallic plate 21, having its extended lower edge properly serrated, whereby the hay or other substance to be delivered into the feeding-chamber will be more readily engaged.

In order to control the movement of the feeder l9 and accompanying feeding-blocks 20, I provide the controlling-lever 22, one end of which is pivotally connected to the doorsections 23, properly hinged to the contiguous end of the members 12, while the opposite end of said lever is pivotally connected to the feeder 19, the extreme free end of the lever being provided with the hook member 24, adapted to engage and force downward the division-blocks 2b, which latter are designed for dividing the compressed material into bales of proper length ready to be wired or otherwise secured. The hook part engages over the upper edge of the division-blocks, as seen in Fig. 1. The divison-blocks 26 are properly held in position ready to be forced downward by the hook member 24 by means of what is commonly designated the guiding member or block-dropper 25, which latter may be placed under the ready control of the operator by pivotally connecting the same to the controlling-rod 28, the outer end of said rod being pivotally secured to the operating-lever 29, said lever being pivotally secured to a contiguous part of the frame, as indicated by the numeral 30.

In Fig. 4 it will be observed that guideways or tracks 31 are provided upon the upper part of the compression-chamber, and said tracks are designed to receive the weight of the block-dropper or guiding member 24:, and in order to hold said dropper reliably in position upon said tracks the depending guideways or brackets 32 are attached to the blockholders 25 at such point thereon as will in- In orderto prevent the block proper, 25, from casually slipping off the ends of the track 31, and thus falling into the feeding-chamber, I provide the cars 33, each of which is provided with a suitable aperture of proper size to loosely receive one of the track-sections, and since said track-sections are so shaped at their inner ends that they will extend slightly over the opening 6, through which the hay is introduced, it is clear that the guiding or division block holder 25 may be forcedinto such position as will prevent the hay or the like from engaging the contiguous edge of the opening 6 when the division-block is to be forced downward into the receiving-chamber by the hook 21, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3 and other views.

It will be observed that the compressionhead 7 and the feeder 19 have a relative reciprocating movement-that is to say, when the com pression-head 7 is withdrawn the feeding feeder 19 and accompanying blocks 20 are forced downward, and when the plunger is elevated the head is forced inward, and it is therefore obvious that the process of feeding the hay or the like into the machine will be very greatly facilitated.

Since the walking-beam is pivotally eonnected by means of the link 18 to the pitman 8 or the head 7, as the case may be, said relative movement of said parts must unerringly continue as long as the machine is operated. The division-block 25 may be made in any preferred way most suitable for the purpose of holding the block 26 in place, so that it can be held over the feeding-chamber near the inner end of the compression-chamber ready to be forced downward by the book 24 when required. The holder may be made of suitable heavy sheet metal so bent at the ends as to provide the guiding -flanges 34, said flanges being a proper distance apart to enable the division-block to be loosely received between them.

In order to prevent the block 26 from casually dropping downward into the compression-chamber, I provide, preferably upon the outer side, the depending spring 35, which is riveted or otherwise secured to the holder, the lower free end of the spring being bent inward, so as to lie in the path of the downward movement of the block, and it is therefore obvious that when said block is engaged by the hook 24 the tension of the spring will be overcome and the block permitted to move downward into position.

In Figs. 3 and 4 I have illustrated by means of the lever 29 how the division-block holder 25 may be easily manipulated and controlled by the operator standing upon the ground. This construction will be desirable where the same person attends to the wiring of the bales as they are ready to leave the machine. When, however, it is desired to operate the holder and thus deliver the division-blocks 2G by the person standing on the feedingplatform, then I prefer to dispense with the lever 29 and the controlling-rod 28 and substitute therefor the controlling-lever 36, secured in position on a contiguous part of the frame, preferably upon oneof the members 12, as indicated by the numeral 37. The lower end of the lever 36 is pivotallyconnected to the controlling-shaft 38, which extends into pivotal connection with one edge of the block-holding member 25, as indicated by the curved terminal 39.

If preferred, a suitable rack-bar may be provided, adapted to be engaged by a. manually-controlled detent as indicated by the numeral 41, whereby the lever may be adjusted and set in any desired position. As is common, I prefer to so form the divisionblocks 26 that they will have the transverselydisposed grooves 4:2, adapted to permit the baling-wires to be readily introduced in position ready to be secured. I Having thus fully. described the construction and combination of parts required to produce my self-feeding attachment forbalingmachines, the operation or manner of using the same may be stated to be as follows: WVhen the machine is operated to drive the compression-head 7 Within the compressionchamber, the desired quantity of hayis placed under the feeding-blocks 20, so as to be in proper position when the head 7 is withdrawn to be forced downward by said feeding-blocks 20 into the receiving-chamber 3. It is therefore obvious that when the head 7 again moves inward the hay in advance of it will be forced by said head from the feeding-chamber into the compression-chamber 4, and thus form anaddition to the bale that is being made.

' During the process of feeding the hay into the receiving-chamber 3 the operator will properly manipulate the lever 29 or 36, as the case may be, so as to bring the division-block holder 25 into the vertical position over the edge of the opening 6 in the feeding-chamber, the holder being properly inclined, so as to bring the upper edge of the division-block in the path of the downwardly-moving hook 24:, thereby causing said hook to contact the division-block and force it into the feedingchamber when it may be deemed necessary to start another bale. By the operation of the parts just described it will be seen that the'feeding process or the work of introducing hay into the feeding-chamber is in no wise.

interrupted or interfered with, as would be the case if it should be necessary to manu-.

ally introduce the division-block in place. When the division-blocks are introduced by hand, as is common, the machine must be stopped until the block is properly adjusted, as otherwise the operator wouldv incur great danger by placing his hands within the feeding-chamber during the act of adjusting the division-block.

By the use of my improved automatic feeding and block-introducing mechanism the division-blocks are promptly delivered at requiredintervals without interrupting the intermittent action of the feeding mechanism proper, and it is therefore clearly apparent that by the use of my inventionthe capacity of the baling-machine is greatly multiplied, as there is no necessityof losinga single operation or feed. The block-introducing mechanism being much morepowerful than handpowe r,it is possible to feed orintroduce a'larger bunch of hay than would be possible without the use of my invention.

By providing the feeding-blocks 20 to force the hay'downward into the receiving-chamber much larger quantities of hay can be introduced than would be possible if forced in said chamber in the usual manner, as with a fork or by the pressure of the feet of the operator.

By the use of my invention many serious accidents will be avoided, as it is well known to be a dangerous operation to introduce the feet into the receiving-chamber for the pur-. pose of initially compressing the hay therein. The upper edge of the block-holder should be inclined outward and a division block dropped in place between the flanges 34, and after a sufficient quantity of hay has been compressed to form a bale of the desired size the block-holder is moved, so that at the next downward movement of the hook 24; the block will be forcedin place, as above set forth.

While I have described the preferred construction which may be adopted in manufac turing my improved self-feeding attachment for hay-baling machines,it willibe understood that I desire to com prehendin this application all substantial equivalents and modifications which may be considered to fall fairly within the scope and purview of my invention, and I therefore do not wish to be con fined strictly to the exact showing herein presented. V 7

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination with the reciprocatory feed er, a division-block holder adapted to receive division-blocks and a rocking beam opfeeder and means carried by said lever to en gage a division-block in said holder, substantially as and for the purpose specified;

2. The combination with a reciprocatory feeder, a division-block holder adapted to receive division-blocks and a rocking beam operatively connected with said feeder, of a controlling-lever pivotally mounted on the feeder, means carried by said lever to engage a division-block in said holder, and hinged door-sections connected to one end of said lever, as set forth. 7

3. The combination with a reciprocatory feeder, a division-block holder adapted to receive division-blocks, and a rocking beam operatively connected with said feeder, of a controlling-lever mounted pivotally on the feeder, means carried by said lever to engage a division-block in the holder, hinged doorconnected to one end of the lever, tracks upon sections connected to one end of said lever, which the holder rests horizontally till lifted and tracks upon which said holder rests horiinto position to drop the blocks and means 15 zontally till lifted into position to drop the forpreventing the block proper from acciden- 5 blocks, as set forth. tally dropping off the ends of the tracks, as

4. The combination with a reeiprocntory [set forth.

feeder, a division-block holder adapted to re- In testimony whereof I aflix my signature ceive division-blocks, and a rocking beam opin presence of two Witnesses.

eratively connected with said feeder, of acon- KINZIE KERN GITTINGS. lo trollin g-leverpivotally mounted on the feeder, \Vitnesses:

means carried by said lever to engagea divi- G. T. STARK,

sion-block in the holder, hinged door-sections V. O. HANOCK. 

